The fallout from Perez Hilton's shocking livestream crisis has now moved into family court.
Hilton's mother, Teresita Lavandeira, has filed for temporary custody of the celebrity blogger's three minor children as her son remains hospitalized following the disturbing August 4 incident.
Lavandeira filed the petition in Miami-Dade County on August 7, seeking temporary custody of Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8. According to reports, Hilton voluntarily consented to the temporary arrangement.
And while the words "custody filing" are bound to generate headlines, the family appears determined to make one thing clear: this is about protecting the children while Hilton recovers.
Lavandeira has reportedly asked for the court records to be sealed, arguing that the children "should not be subjected to any further trauma" connected with the highly publicized situation.
Her attorney, Natalie F. Guerra-Valdes, similarly emphasized that the family's priority is giving the children safety and some degree of normalcy following the events of last week.
"My main concern and objective, as well as the family's, is to protect the children and make sure they are safe," Guerra-Valdes said in a statement reported by NBC Miami. She added that the family wants the children to regain some normalcy as they begin healing.
The custody development comes after Hilton, 48, was hospitalized following an alarming livestream from his Miami-area home on August 4.
The situation became even more troubling when Hilton's family revealed that his children, along with his sister and niece, had reportedly been at the home shortly before the livestream. They left once it became apparent that Hilton was experiencing a severe mental health crisis.
Authorities responded, and Hilton was hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act. His family subsequently said that he had suffered significant blood loss and injuries requiring surgery and described him as being in "serious but stable" condition. They also warned that his recovery would be a lengthy process.
Now, his mother is stepping in.
According to Page Six, the temporary arrangement gives Lavandeira authority over important matters involving the children, including medical and educational decisions. Hilton reportedly consented to the arrangement on August 7 and may seek to have custody restored following an appropriate transition process.
That distinction matters: despite some dramatic social-media claims suggesting Hilton has simply "lost custody" of his children, the available reporting describes a temporary arrangement that Hilton himself agreed to, not a permanent termination of his parental rights.
The latest development also underscores just how dramatically life has changed for the man who built his career reporting on the private lives, scandals and family dramas of Hollywood's biggest celebrities.
Now Hilton is finding his own intensely personal family crisis unfolding under the same celebrity-news microscope.
His mother, however, appears intent on keeping at least one part of the story out of that spotlight: his children.
"The children should not be subjected to any further trauma," Lavandeira argued in seeking to have the case sealed, according to reports.
For the moment, the family's focus appears to be firmly divided between Hilton's recovery and providing stability for Mario, Mia and Mayte.
Hilton's representatives have not announced when he could leave the hospital, and People reported that no further update on his condition had been provided as of August 12.
What began as a frightening livestream has therefore become something much larger for the Hilton family - a hospitalization, an uncertain recovery and now a temporary custody arrangement designed to keep three young children safe while their father receives care.
